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I came to Korea with fantastical views of insanely low prices for just about everything.( during pre-trip research I read tall tales of teachers coming over with $60 and the clothes on their back so what was I to expect?) To my dismay, nearly everything beyond eating out and riding in taxi cabs(which are my two fave toronto past times to be honest), is at par with or more expensive than Toronto. Due to overwhelming interest (not that any has been explicitly expressed, I just know my audience) I will be releasing an in depth empirical study of the price disparity between my old and new home in the form of a super exciting blog post in weeks to come.

This certainly made me regret my decision to wait until I reached Korea to buy a new ipod, as it turns out that Apple products are far more overpriced here than they are in North America. Apple’s sad sad pricing left me in a deep dark depression once again when a friend forwarded me this awesome video about their newest product. (no I am not some Apple patriot…just watch the video and then try to convince me you aren’t dazzled by Steve Jobs)

Alas, it is for the best as this pauper has no need for such pricey toys (despite its obvious utility in realizing my dreams of kpop stardom).

I think Korea has a lot of protectionism to keep prices high. It shocked me to go to the produce section of a grocery store. I left in ’07 and returned in ’10 and prices had really climbed, while wages for English teachers stayed flat. I’m headed elsewhere.